1. Mock trial competition combines law, debate and drama

The 16th annual High School Mock Trial Competition will be held Feb. 19 at the County-City Building in Tacoma. The all-day event will produce a Pierce/Thurston County champion who will face winners from other counties in the state championship March 18-20 in Olympia. The state winner advances to the nationals at Charlotte, N.C. May 5-7.

Preliminary rounds begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the final round at 1 p.m. The Mock Trial competition is a YMCA Youth & Government program and is co-sponsored by the Administrative Office for the Courts, the Washington Judges Foundation and the Young Lawyers Division of the Washington State Bar Association. The competition is a unique blend of law, debate and drama in which students learn about topical issues and court procedures while sharpening their critical thinking and public speaking skills.

This year’s fictional case — set in the Public Market and full of magic, ventriloquism, telekinesis, street performers and flying fish — should be fun as well as educational. Whislea “Wizard” Dwight didn’t kill anyone but is facing charges of first-degree murder. In prosecuting and defending “The Wiz”, students will be exploring questions of personal responsibility and good judgment along with the legal requirements of felony murder, proximate cause and accomplice liability. After a pretrial hearing on a motion to exclude evidence gathered by the cold case detective posing as an attorney, the case will be tried to a jury of real attorneys who have volunteered their Saturday to score the competition. Real judges will preside over the trials.

For months, students throughout the state have been preparing this case which will be tried in many Washington courthouses during February.

Among the Pierce/Thurston County high schools expected to participate are Henry Foss, New Market Skills, Meadowdale and Archbishop Murphy.

For more information (either background now or to arrange to receive results), please contact Judge Stephanie Arend, District Convener at (253) 798-7562.